On Tuesday I was in London at the Constructing Excellence Board meeting. There are lots of great things happening and I look forward to sharing some of these with you soon.

This week Leanne and I have been busy packing boxes for our impending office move tomorrow (31st July) to the e.volve Business Centre at Rainton Bridge, Houghton-le-Spring. Once we are all settled we will be holding a social event to welcome you to our new home and also a chance to meet the CENE team, Board and various committee members.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the staff both past and present at Corepeople Recruitment for the support they have bestowed on us over these past four years and especially their Executive Director, Ian Storer, who has been exceptionally generous to CENE while we have been based at Allergate House.

We have also been busy filling up our calendar of events for the autumn and details of these will be available on our website and newsletter shortly. If there is anything in particular you would like us to hold then please contact Leanne. This can either be in the form of CPD or social event. We cover a wide range of CPD topics such as collaborative working, health & safety, construction law, procurement and many more so please tell us what you would like to see.

We are delighted to welcome Applebridge Construction Ltd & ewire Northern Ltd to Constructing Excellence North East and look forward to seeing them at our events in the near future. If you would like to be part of Constructing Excellence, please contact Leanne for further details.

Generation 4 Change North East in conjunction with RTPI Young Planners are holding an end of summer BBQ at The Bridge Tavern on Wednesday 9th September to take away those blues whilst also networking with built environment professionals.

11/09/2015 - Charity Golf Day - Only a few teams remain!

Date: 11th September 2015 Time: 8.30am – 6.00pm Venue: Close House Hotel, Newcastle upon Tyne Cost: £90+VAT per person (enquire for a fourball)

Come along to this fantastic charity golf day being supported by Constructing Excellence in the North East along with the North East committee members of the Lighthouse Club – a construction industry charity on September 11th to help raise funds.

Registration with bacon butties will be available from 8.30am and see world trick shot entertainment by Kevin Carpenter. Excellent networking opportunities along with great prizes up for grabs including a £3k holiday!

15/09/2015 - Future Housing

Constructing Excellence in the North East are delighted to be holding a ‘Future Housing’ event looking at Sustainable Homes, PassivHaus and Smart homes.

Scientific studies have not only revealed that between 85% and 95% of new homes consistently fail to satisfy the minimum standards required by Part L and Part F, but also that aspects of the Building Regulations are unfit for purpose and are considered to pose a threat to the health and wellbeing of occupants. New homes neither conserve the energy that is expected nor provide the standard of fresh air that you require to maintain a healthy indoor environment.

Mark Sidall will discuss the causes of these problems and the only scientifically proven quality assurance measure that is more or less guaranteed to maximise comfort, minimise bills and create a healthy home.

Geoff Woodcock will cover the creation of ‘Trivselhus by Esh’ our new brand of Low Carbon, Zero Energy Homes, which are targeted at the upper end of the housing market, this is a Joint Venture between Esh Group and Swedish Company, Sodra, a Forestry Group with a turnover of circa £1.3bn.

Rob Charlton will discuss how construction needs to rethinkeverything that is needed to deliver homes with no energy bills.

To register please contact Leanne McAngus on 0191 374 0233 or leanne@cene.org.ukDetails will be confirmed shortly.

18/09/2015 - NAWIC North East End of Summer Ball

While most plan their holiday break around this time of year we are already thinking about the end of summer and planning our annual END OF SUMMER BALL

NAWIC NE invite you to book your places at the End of Summer Ball in September and join us to celebrate yet another year in our usual style. This year's charity will be the Children's Heart Unit Fund, another worthy cause!

Tickets seem to go faster each year we host this so please get booking now to avoid disappointment. This year we will be returning to the Beamish Hall in Durham by popular demand.

As always we would appreciate any form of sponsorship for this event. Without exception, each year has been well supported and we have been able to donate generously to the elected charity for that year. Contact Leanne for further details.

23/09/2015 - Open Treasure & LEGO Build with Durham Cathedral

Constructing Excellence in the North East in association with Construction Industry Council North East and Durham Cathedral are delighted to invite you to hear from Durham Cathedral about their Open Treasure and LEGO build project, future plans and get the chance to add LEGO to the cathedral!

July 2013 saw the beginning of an ambitious fundraising campaign to recreate Durham Cathedral in LEGO bricks. This exciting venture is raising funds for Open Treasure, a project which is transforming public access to some of the Cathedral's most spectacular spaces and to the breath-taking collections it has acquired over the centuries.

When complete, the 300,000 brick model will be as accurate a scale representation of the Cathedral as possible, spanning 3.84 metres in length, 1.53 metres wide and 1.7 metres in height. For every donation of LEGO bricks added to the model Cathedral, the project is expected to raise approximately £300,000 for the Cathedral’s Open Treasure appeal.

A presentation by Tom Billington (Property & Facilities Manager) to discuss the Open Treasure and the future plans/conservation aspect for Durham Cathedral. Then Gaye Kirby will present on the LEGO, Development plans and fundraising then of course we will all have fun adding LEGO bricks to the model!

Constructing Excellence in the North East are delighted to be supporting our National office for a fourth year in a row preparing this year’s National Awards. Now in their ninth year, these prestigious Awards seen as one of the highlights of the industry’s calendar will be attended by over 450 built environment professionals from across the UK.

Throughout the year, regional Constructing Excellence Awards have been held across the country and this finale event will recognise the overall winners from categories such as Integration & Collaborative working, Sustainability, Young Achiever (G4C) and Health & Safety with this year’s new award BIM Project of the Year.

This event is a great opportunity for companies that wish to be seen as proactively supporting and leading innovation within the Built Environment and information on sponsorship can be requested from Constructing Excellence North East (CENE) or on the National website.

To book your tickets please contact Leanne McAngus on 0191 374 0233 or leanne@cene.org.uk. (This year tickets will be sent electronically to ensure you/yours guests receive those prior to the Awards dinner.)

Would your organisation like to be seen as a sponsor at this prestigious Awards dinner, contact Leanne for package details and benefits!

29/10/15 - Quiz Night....Returns!

Date: Thursday 29th October 2015 Time: 6.45pm registration, 7.15pm start, 10.30pm Close Venue: Centre for Life, Times Square, Newcastle upon Tyne Parking: Times Square Multi Storey Car Park Cost: £50+VAT per team of 5 (teams should consist of no more than 5)

Constructing Excellence in the North East are delighted to be once again holding their charity quiz night on Thursday 29th October 2015 at The Centre for Life and we would be happy if you would be able to join us for a fun filled evening with a variety of themed rounds to test everyone’s ability.

Registration is 6.45pm for a 7.15pm prompt start, the quiz is due to finish at 10.30pm with carriages at 11.15pm. A traditional “pie and peas” supper will be served during the evening. Mobile phones and encyclopaedias are prohibited during the quiz.

There will be a raffle held during the evening and would appreciate your support with donations. If you would like to donate a prize please email Leanne. (Your logo will be displayed on the quiz guest list on the evening)

There is no objection to entering more than one team so please encourage your clients and work colleagues to join in!